


Morning, sunshine

by SuperxjinX



Category: Supernatural
Genre: BAMF Castiel (Supernatural), Bacon, Books, Bullies, But Cas is cute and it's difficult, Butterfly stomach, Cas struggles with emotions, Cas works at Gas n sip, Crushes, Cute Castiel, Dean hates the bus, Dean is Emotionally Stunted, Dean will get there yall, Diners, Doesn't know how to deal with his crush, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gas-N-Sip (Supernatural), Holidays, Homophobic Language, Human Castiel (Supernatural), Light Angst, M/M, More tags to be added, Nervous Dean Winchester, Protective Dean Winchester, Reasurrance, Secrets, Self-Discovery, Shopping, Slow Build, Smitten Dean Winchester, The Impala (Supernatural), Trenchcoats, Vacation, Yoga, beee, chapped lips
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:54:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29630775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperxjinX/pseuds/SuperxjinX
Summary: Set extremely loosly in season 9 when Castiel became human.Sam goes away on vacation for a week leaving Dean and Castiel alone in the bunker. Cas is still coming to grips with being human and everything that comes with it and Dean is coming to grips with his newly discovered feelings for his now mortal best friend.Fluff, fun and first dates ensue.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 8
Kudos: 26





	1. Saturday morning

**Author's Note:**

> Hey!  
> So, a few things before we get started..  
> This is not beta read (so if yah see any mistakes try your best to ignore them pwease)  
> This is not cannon correct. I have changed and ignored alot of what happened in Season 9 for this story to work how i wanted it to but this is fanfiction so i can be forgiven right?  
> I just wanted to write an upbeat feel good gooey cute story seeing as everything in the world right now is pretty shitty..
> 
> Anyway shush Jinx..
> 
> Hope you enjoy :)

It was late morning on a sunny saturday. Not that any of the sun reached into the depth of the bunker that the Winchesters called home though.

At first glance you would think that the bunker was empty, with its long hallways and endless rooms full of secrets but if you listened carefully you could hear the sound of life inside. The sound of a tap running as Sam brushed his teeth after his morning coffee or the flutter of a page turning in the library as Castiel engrossed himself in ancient text or even the slightly out of tune whistle as Dean threw another few slices of bacon into a hot frying pan.

The three had spent the last week on a hunt in Alaska, following the bloody trail of a wolf pack. The case had been long and dirty and by the end of it the brothers looked more like zombies than the humans they were, even Castiel had been tired, being newly human he was struggling with doing everything the long way. So needless to say they were more than happy to be home.

Dean had just turned off the stove when Sam came into the kitchen smelling of aftershave and the faint hint of mint toothpaste. Dean wrinkled his nose as his brother made it to the counter where the older hunter was placing his greasy breakfast onto a plate.

"You smell like a male stripper," Dean commented.

"Interesting that you would know what one smelt like" Sam said back, not missing a beat.

"I only know cause I was gonna get you one for your birthday" Dean smirked, throwing a whole piece of bacon into his mouth.

"Shut up jerk," Sam said, though his tone was one of teasing and held no real malice.

"Bitch" Dean said around his mouthful.

Sam rolled his eyes, making his way over to the large fridge to grab a smoothie. It was at this moment that Dean noticed that it was not just the smell of his brother that was off, he had clearly spent extra time on his hair that morning and was wearing what the younger Winchester deemed as his best shirt and jeans. Dean eyed him skeptically as he ate his bacon until Sam turned around and noticed.

"What?" He asked, a little breathless after downing his smoothie.

"You," Dean replied. "You look all.. I don't know.. dressed up. You got a date or something?"

Sam looked at him with slight surprise and clear annoyance as he raised an eyebrow at his brother. Dean scratched idly at his hot dog pajama clad leg as he waited on his brother's reply.

"Dude" Sam sighed out. "How bad is your memory?" 

"Wha? What are you talking about, my memory is fine!" 

Sam just laughed and made his way towards the door. 

"I'm going away for the week, remember?" He said over his shoulder as he left the kitchen.

"Wait what?!" Dean called, bacon forgotten as he made his way after with brother.

"Jody asked me, remember? After her other friend let her down" 

By this point they had made it to the library. Castiel looked up from his book as the brothers passed his table.

"Oh wait, I remember" Dean groaned, stopping when Sam did as he picked up his full duffel. "This is that find your self detox crap vacation"

"It's not crap Dean. It's good for you. You should try it" Sam said through a smirk, duffel now securely on his shoulder.

"No Thankyou" Dean shot back childishly. "So what am I supposed to do all week?"

Sam gave him a disbelieving look then, trying not to chuckle at the way the older Winchester looked in the moment, with his ridiculous pyjama bottoms, flappy slippers and dead man's robe. His hands held up on either side of him in question and his eyebrows almost becoming one with his hairline. He noticed Castiel over Dean's shoulder, the newly human man offered Sam a wave and a small smile from where he sat at the large reading table. Sam nodded back with a grin before looking at his brother once more.

"I don't know man. Maybe spend some time with Cas. He's been through alot recently y'know, he would probably enjoy spending time with you"

Dean became visibly uncomfortable at Sam's words, his hands finally falling from their poised position and his mouth pulling into a line as his ears became a slight shade of pink.

"We spend time together all the time" Dean mumbled, seeming to now find it difficult to keep eye contact with Sam.

Castiel had returned back to his book completely unaware of the Winchesters conversation. 

"I don't mean us three on a hunt Dean. I mean you two spending time together just, you know, you two" Sam said in a hissed whisper, annoyed at his brother's obliviousness.

"Why would we wanna do that?!" Dean shot back, becoming more agitated by the second.

"Fine whatever" Sam said in a huff, patting down his jacket to make sure he had everything. "Well there is plenty of stuff that still needs to be stock filed so maybe you could lend a hand and do some" 

"What? Come on Sammy, don't make me do that," Dean groaned obnoxiously like a child.

Sam just frowned before looking around his brother to Castiel.

"Seeya later Cas. Goodluck"

"What are you wishing him good luck for?!" Dean asked gruffly, sparing a quick glance at Cas.

Castiel had looked back up from his book to the brothers and Dean quickly looked away when their eyes met. Sam huffed out a breathy laugh at that and Dean shot him a scowl.

"Anyway I'm out. The catalogue books are in the stacks, room thirty three. Don't mess it up" Sam instrusted, pointing an accusing finger at his brother.

"Yeah, yeah" Dean said impatiently, beginning to wish Sam would just leave already. "Have fun or whatever" he grumbled.

Sam just smiled and made his way up the stairs. Dean stood in the same place, watching Sam until he opened the door and disappeared through it, the heavy metal door slamming shut in his wake. 

He let out a huff of breath before he slowly turned away from the door feeling a little out if sorts now that Sam was gone. He walked back into the library, stopping on the other side of the large table Castiel still sat at. 

"I made bacon, you want some?" He asked gruffly, not looking at Castiel, instead leaning forward to catch a glimpse of what the ex angel was reading.

He barely made out one word before the page was covered by Castiel's hand blocking the text from view. Dean looked up to meet Castiel's eyes, raising a brow in question. If he was being honest Cas looked a little embarrassed. Dean liked the look on him, wait, what?! 

Dean pushed that unwelcome thought aside as he stared down at the sitting man in front of him. 

"Whatcha reading?" He asked.

Usually he didn't care. Reading was not something Dean thought of as a fun pass time but Castiel's actions had spiked his curiosity.

“It's nothing,” Castiel said hurriedly, closing the book shut with a snap.

Dean straightened with a frown as Castiel stood from the table and shoved the book into the pocket of the hoodie he wore. The hoodie belonged to Sam and Castiel practically swan in it but Sam had let him have it after Castiel had commented on how comfortable it was. Dean took a step back from the table, watching as Castiel busied himself with clearing the rest of the books and scrolls off the table, turning to place them back on the shelfs before he began to walk from the library, barely throwing Dean a glance.

“Hey!” Dean called after him as Cas made it to the door that would lead him further into the bunker. Castiel stopped by in the doorway, his blue eyes landing on Dean, his face passive. “I err.. Did you want breakfast or not?”

Dean bit the inside of his cheek. He had not meant it to come out so demanding and rude but Castiel was acting weird and it had put his back up. Castiel just stared at him for a few moments and Dean fought the urge to not fidget under his heavy gaze. Castiel may be human now but the hunter still felt as if the ex angel could see right through him to his very soul.

“No thankyou” Cas finally said as he adjusted the hoodie around his body, pulling it around him tightly. “I have work”

“What? But it's saturday” Dean argued back meagerly, hating how whiny his voice was in that moment.

Castiel blinked, offering Dean a rare smile. 

“Yes, but I am doing it as a favour, plus they already gave me last week off” Castiel replied before walking out of the room and out of sight as if that sentence explained everything.

Dean let out a deep sigh. This is just great, Sammy had run off on one of his hippy adventures and Cas was going to work. What a fun day this was turning into. With another huff of breath he tightened the tie on his robe before shuffling out of the library back towards the kitchen where his bacon breakfast waited.

Why was Castiel even bothering with that crappy Gas n Sip job anyway? He had everything he needed right here. Food, clothes and money. Dean stared grumpily down at the floor as he walked, he was stewing, actually he wasn't, shut up.

Once back in the kitchen, a large plate stacked with bacon and toast in front of him and a steaming cup of coffee in his hand his mood had lifted somewhat. He thumbed at his phone with his free hand, scanning the local area for anything out of the ordinary. He was hoping for a hunt, something close by that he could deal with while Sam was away. At this point he would almost take anything over going into the stacks to do cataloguing.

After scrolling for about ten minutes and finding nothing even slightly Supernatural or spooky, he dropped the phone to the table. Instead he distracted himself by shoving as much bacon as humanly possible into his mouth at one time and actually enjoying the fact that Sam wasn't there to complain about his table manners.

Bacon and toast finished, he stood from the table, dropping the plate into the sink and headed over to the coffee machine for a refill. Just as he was pouring the steaming nectar into his mug Castiel appeared in the doorway, clad in his Gas n Sip uniform. Dean still found the blue vest hilarious but managed not to laugh in his friend's face as he offered the filled cup to Castiel. 

Castiel only hesitated a moment before stepping into the kitchen to take the offered mug from the hunter. Since becoming human Castiel had discovered why Dean insisted on his morning coffee. Dean picked up a fresh mug, filling it with coffee. He turned his back to the machine to face Castiel, letting his butt lean against the counter as he brought his mug to his lips.

Castiel had his eyes closed as he clasped his own mug in his hands, sniffing the steam that rose from it before letting out a content sigh. Dean could not pull his eyes away as Cas brought the mug to his mouth taking a few long gulps of the still too hot coffee. When Castiel lowered the mug and opened his eyes Dean quickly looked away, realising that he had been staring at his friend Adam's apple bobbing as he drank. His eyes quickly found his feet, what had that been about?

“Thankyou Dean,” Castiel said once his mug was empty.

Dean just nodded as he watched Castiel walk across the kitchen to drop the mug into the sink before making his way back to the kitchen door. He scooped to collect his messenger bag that he had dropped at the door when Dean had offered him the coffee. The bag was another gift from Sam to Castiel. The younger Winchester wanted their friend to have something to carry his limited amount of things around with him. What he carried in the bag Dean did not know, Castiel only had a mobile phone.. The guy didn't have a wallet and Dean knew he ate at work so why he carried the bag around was anyone's guess. Though Dean had the suspicion the ex angel only carried it because it was a gift and he wanted Sam to see him using it. 

Castiel stood in the kitchen doorway for a moment and Dean suddenly realised he had been staring, again. What was up with him today? Maybe he needed more sleep.

“Anyway..” Castiel began but said no more.

The silence that hung after that was kinda awkward and Dean cleared his throat, downing the rest of his mug before turning his back on his friend with the pretence of tidying the kitchen. He could feel Castiel's eyes on him as he made his way to the sink, turning on the tap to fill it with hot water, adding probably to much washing up liquid. He forced his eyes to stay on the water as it slowly rose, bubbles forming around the plates and mugs within.

Then, the feeling of eyes on him was gone and when he turned to look at the doorway Castiel was also gone. He huffed through his nose as he stared at the now empty doorway and was a little annoyed at himself for not offering his friend a lift to work. Castiel had already said on several different occasions that he enjoyed taking the bus even though Dean had offered several times to drive him there. Damn it, Dean had even given his friend the choice of cars in the garage but the ex angel had declined the offer, informing Dean that he really did like the bus and seeing all the different people on it.

Dean turned back to the sink, plunging his hands into the hot water. It was probably too hot if he was being honest but he was beginning to fall into a funk that he couldn't quite place and it was kind of pissing him off. What was so great about the bus anyway? It smelled and was so slow Dean could drive to Castiel's work and back four times before the bus even made it there.

A thought occurred to Dean that maybe Cas just didn't want to spend time with him. The hunter had been short with him lately and neither of the brothers had been there for the angel when he had fallen from grace and had been forced to live as a human. He dumped one of the mugs he had been scrubbing on the draining board and cursed when it chipped. 

It must have sucked, Dean thought, being alone with no one and no money to get by. Especially when Castiel knew barely anything about being human, shit, the guy hadn't even realised he had to pee every now and again. This thought only made Dean's mood worse and he tried to push it aside while he finished the washing up.

When he was done he went back to his room, determined to forget about Castiel and his bus and Sammy and his retreat and just get dressed. Maybe once he was showered and dressed he would feel better and decide what to do with the rest of his day.

*********************

A few hours later and Dean found himself sitting amongst the stacks on the floor. He was surrounded by several boxes of god only knew what and one of Sam's meticulously wrote out catalogues in his lap. He frowned down at it before letting out a groan and pushing the thing off his lap, not caring that it had landed page down and was probably getting wrinkled and smudged. Served Sammy right for leaving such a boring arse job for Dean to do while he went off to do yoga and drink smoothies.

He groaned again and climbed back to his feet, his knees giving an audible click that made the hunter wince. He leant against one of the shelves with his hand, allowing his weight to shift from foot to foot as the blood rushed back to his legs and butt. Maybe he was getting too old to sit on the floor. That thought only depressed the hunter as he ran a hand through his sandy hair and grimaced when it came away dusty.

Another shower it was then. He stepped over the boxes that were on the floor, briefly telling himself that he would come back later and put them away but knowing for sure he would not be stepping back into that room, at least not for the rest of that Saturday. He lifted his arm to check his watch as he made the slow stroll through the bunker back to his room to collect yet another change of clothes and a clean towel. It was quarter past one in the afternoon, Castiel would be having his lunch about now.

With his best friend in mind he walked into his room. Instead of going to the drawers to get his clothes he walked to his bedside table where his phone sat charging. He unclipped the charger when he saw it was full, unlocking the screen with a swipe of his finger. He smiled when he saw he had a text from Sam and wasted no time opening it. 

_ Hey man, we are half way through our journey and Jody has already eaten four doughnuts! Says she is indulging in junk food before we get to the retreat. _

_ Did you get any work done in the stacks? How's Cas? _

Dean chuckled quietly when he thought of Jody and the doughnuts, his stomach letting out a growl of its own at the thought of food. He frowned though when he read the rest of the message, the question about Cas bothering him the most. Cas had a phone. Why didn't Sam just text him and ask? Thinking of that though Sam had been pretty insistent on him and Cas spending time together so maybe he was just digging to see if Dean had or not. Which of course he hadn't because Cas had work and Dean couldtn find a case so he was stuck at home.

He typed out a quick reply, telling Sam that he had got alot done, a lie, and that Cas had gone to work. He told Sam to say hi to Jody for him before closing the conversation to Sam and then swiping through his contacts before he came to Cas. His thumb hovered over the call button but never made contact. After what happened this morning Dean felt kinda awkward and he didn't even know why. Cas had hovered in the doorway for a while after his aborted sentence and Dean wondered if his friend had been waiting for something. What though?

He shook the thought from his head and opened a chat instead.

_ Hey Cas, How's work? Hope they aren't riding you too hard. _

He sent it off before he had a chance to question anything. He never really texted Cas and as he gathered a change of clothes and towel he wondered if it was weird for him to check in like that. His phone beeped in his pocket when he made it to the bathroom and he pulled it out of his jeans to see that it was not Cas but Sam replying to his message. He felt a wave of disappointment at this fact that left him questioning once again what was wrong with him today.

_ Oh, he's working on a Saturday? Weird. Well, make sure you two hang out at least a little while I'm away. He could use a friend. _

Dean felt himself frowning again. Why was his gigantic little brother so insistent on this? Also, yeah it was weird that Cas was working on a Saturday but hey what could he do? He didn't bother replying to his brother before he shucked off his clothes and got in the shower, enjoying the blissful water pressure their underground home offered.

When he was done he wiped over his face with the towel before wrapping it around his hips. He noticed his phone was blinking and picked it up, thinking that it was probably just Sam complaining about his brother ignoring him. To his surprise though it was Castiel's name that blinked at him from the screen not his brothers. He shook the water from his hair before wiping his hand on the towel at his waist once more so that he could activate his screen.

_ Hello Dean. Work is going rather smoothly. We had a new slushie machine delivered today that was very exciting. _

Dean snorted out a laugh at that. Only Cas would find something that mundane exciting but it made him smile and lifted his spirits more than he would have admitted to. He sat down on the bench against the bathroom wall, his thumbs working to reply.

_ Sounds like fun. Did you eat? _

He sent it off and instantly regretted it. What kind of question was that? of course he ate, stupid Dean, stupid. He was pulled out of his self assault when the phone beeped not even a minute after he had sent his idiotc message.

_ Yes, I had peanut butter and jelly Sandwiches. Very tasty. Have you eaten? _

Dean blinked down at the screen as a warmness spread through his chest. Maybe it wasnt a stupid question after all or maybe Cas was so out of the loop in human conversation he saw no fault in Deans awkward texting. 

_ No. Just got out of the shower. Gonna make myself a sandwich now.  _

He sent it off and stood to dry himself properly. By the time he was fully dry and dressed his phone had buzzed another two times. Cas had sent him a message telling him to enjoy his lunch and the second message just had an emoji of a sandwich that made Dean laugh. Cas was such a dork.

An hour and three sandwiches later Dean was sitting back in the library, a cold bear in hand and laptop open on the table in front of him. He was yet again searching the news for any sign of a case. Even going as far as national news when the local sites offered nothing. His phone buzzed loudly on the table and he picked it up without looking away from the laptop. When he had finished reading what was on the screen he glanced down at the phone and saw that Cas had messaged him again.

_ I am finishing early today. Would you like me to pick up food from the diner? _

Dean felt himself smile whilst he read and he wasn't sure whether it was Cas getting out early or the promise of diner food that brought that reaction out. Obviously it was the food cause why would it be Cas, shut up.

_ Sure buddy sounds great. What time are you out? I can pick you up _

Yes a nice drive in baby would do Dean the world of good. It was probably being stuck indoors that was putting him in a mood anyway so getting out would surely help. 

_ I finish at 7pm. I can get the bus Dean, it is no bother. _

There he goes with the fucking bus again, Dean thought, pressing his lips together. He was about to write something about how if Cas loved the bus so much why don't he just move into it but quickly deleted it before he could send. Maybe, just maybe Cas took the bus because he didn't want to feel like a bother to the brothers. Maybe he just wanted to prove that he could get by okay on his own without relying on others. Maybe that was why he also kept that crappy job.

Dean took a deep breath and began to type out a new message. reading over it several times before sending it.

_ It's not a bother Cas. I want to pick you up. Maybe we could take the long route home. I could do with a nice long drive. _

Dean felt his ears burn a little when he read back on what he had written. Did he sound too needy? No, no way. If he sounded needy that would mean he wanted something from Cas and he definitely didn't want anything from his best friend.. right?

He shook the thought from his head and put the phone back down, focusing once again on the news article on the laptop. A few minutes went by without a reply and Dean started to worry that maybe he had been too pushy. If Cas wanted to be independent then who was Dean to try and stop him from being so? The dude was millenia years old and was once a powerful being he did not need to be babied.

Dean's phone buzzed on the table and he grabbed for it so fast he knocked his beer over. Cursing loudly he quickly grabbed for the laptop to save it from the hoppy liquid. Whilst saving the laptop he had no time to save his phone and he cursed again when the beer spread around it. He put the laptop down on the chair, running to the kitchen to grab a towel and grumbling the whole time he cleaned up the spilt beer. He then wiped at his phone and was more than relieved to find it unharmed, Castiel's message still blinking at him to be opened.

_ That would be lovely Dean. I am looking forward to it. _

At the end of the message Cas had added a little bee emoji and Dean once again felt the warmth spread through his chest. It was only then that he realized that he was standing in the middle of the library smiling down at his phone so wildly he must look like some kind of psychopath. But strangely he found himself not caring. He glanced at his watch again and found he still had more than four hours to go before picking up his friend.

So the hunter busied himself with tidying up the mess in the library and trying not to think about how long four hours felt right about now.


	2. Satuday night

Dean was late. 

He glanced at his wrist watch as he waited at some traffic lights and was annoyed to see it was quarter past seven. Damn it Dean, you had one job!

The reason he was late was because after Castiel had given him the go ahead to pick him up Dean had been suffering with what his brother called butterfly stomach. He really didn't get why he was so nervous. He had sat in the library for another hour after cleaning up the mess before heading to the kitchen to get another beer. One beer turned into two, then three. By the fourth beer he was back in his room, laying spread out on his bed, his phone held out in front of him as he read through his and Cas' messages. He found himself smiling again at the ex angel's use of emojis, the beer helping him to not worry so much as to why.

At half past six he had been awoken by his phone buzzing amongst the sheets where he had dropped in carelessly when he had fallen asleep. He had sat up pretty quickly but had regretted the action thoroughly when his head began to spin. He gripped the edge of the mattress until the room finished spinning before leaning forward and searching through the sheets for his phone. 

It had been a message from Sam letting his brother know that he and Jody had made it to the retreat. Dean had barely glanced at the message before he had noticed the time and he was out of bed and pulling on his boots in a rush.

Dean tapped at the wheel impatiently as he glared angrily at the red light. He had not received any messages from Cas and was starting to worry that his friend might have given up on waiting for him and gotten the bus anyway. 

Of course though, Cas had not given up on Dean. By the time the hunter rounded the corner by the Gas n Sip it had begun to rain steadily, the fat drops beating against the Impala. Dean spotted Cas straight away. His friend stood on the sidewalk, seemingly not caring about the weather. When Castiel saw the Impala he raised his hand in a little wave. Dean raised his fingers from the wheel as he pulled up in front of his friend and Castiel quickly made his way around the car and jumped into the passenger seat. 

The smell of burgers and fries greeted the hunter when Cas was settled in the seat, a paper bag of food sat in his lap. The ex angel's hair was wet and plastered to his forehead and his uniform was in a similar state. Dean briefly worried about the leather of the seats but found he didn't mind all that much. Maybe he should get Cas a coat. Sam had definitely treated the man to plenty of things, maybe it was Dean's turn to get him something. That was no big deal right? He just didn't want his friend to catch a cold. 

“You should have waited inside,” Dean suggested, turning in his seat to look at Cas.

Cas merely nodded, his eyes trained on his lap and the bag of food in it. Dean blinked as he looked at his friend. Did he look sad? He suddenly felt a strange twisting feeling in his stomach at the thought of something upsetting Castiel.

“Hey, what's the matter?”

“It's nothing Dean” Cas mumbled back, his finger picking at the label on the bag

Dean frowned. It certainly was not nothing. Cas was usually happy to see Dean. It was a reaction the hunter had become accustomed too, having his best friend smile at him whenever he saw him, so seeing Cas looking so down did things to Dean's chest that he chose not to think about at that moment.

“Did something happen?” Dean pressed, not wanting to let this go and refusing to move the Impala until he got to the bottom of this.

Cas looked up from his lap, blue eyes meeting green and Dean's breath caught in his throat. There was no doubt about it, Cas looked really upset. His mouth had a downwards curve that did not suit his handsome face and his eyes looked red and puffy as if he had been crying. Wait, did he just think handsome face? What the hell?!

“I do not think my coworkers like me very much,” Cas said, his voice low.

“Woah, what makes you say that?” 

“They ordered coffee after lunch. They all hung out back without me”

Dean grit his teeth to stop any words from slipping out. He should let Cas finish speaking first, even if he could already feel anger bubbling in his chest at Castiel's words.

“Then when they came in they were talking about getting drinks after closing. I asked if I could join and they said no” Cas continued, his eyes falling down to his lap again.

“They just said no? No reason?” Dean said through gritted teeth, his hands tightening on the steering wheel.

“They said I was weird” Cas all but whispered, letting out a sniffle.

Dean had never seen Cas like this before. His friend was usually stoic and hard faced. Barely letting his face show how he was feeling underneath but right now as he sat wetly in the passenger side of the Impala, Cas looked small and vulnerable and incredibly sad. Dean felt anger spread through him again as he turned his head to look towards the Gas n Sip. He could see three people standing by the counter, all wearing the ugly Gas n Sip uniform. They looked young, two guys and a girl, probably in late teens to early twenties and they all stood together laughing at some private joke.

In that moment all Dean wanted to do was open the door and storm in there and demand they apologize to his friend. Yeah, Cas was a little odd but he always tried his best to fit in and take interest in what people were talking about even if he had no clue about the subject. Stupid kids didn't know what they are missing out on. Maybe he could rough them up a little, after all they were bullies and that's what bullies deserve but somehow Dean figured it would just make things worse for his best friend.

“Dean?”

Dean pulled his eyes away from the three people who he had been glaring at to look back at Cas. He had said the hunters name in such a way he almost sounded in pain and it caused Dean's heart rate to pick up in panic. When his gaze landed back on Cas he was looking at the hunter with almost pleading eyes.

“Do  _ you _ think I am weird?”

Dean felt his chest tighten at the ex angel's pleading tone. Cas was desperate to fit in. To be useful. Maybe he even wanted to make other friends outside of the brothers and to be shot down so blatantly must have really struck a chord in Cas. Before Dean was aware of what he was doing, he reached his hand across the space, placing it gingerly on Castiel's knee next to the food bag. He gave his knee a soft squeeze before making eye contact with his friend.

“Yeah Cas you're weird” Dean began and instantly regretted it because Castiel's face dropped further. The dark haired man shifted across the seat closer to the window as if to escape the hunters eyes. Dean did not let him get too far though, his grip on Cas’ leg tightening. “But it's okay to be a bit weird Cas. Do you really think I'm normal? Dude, I'm as weird as they come. I live in an underground bunker and hunt monsters for a living”

Cas met his eyes again, his own hands tightening on the bag in his lap causing the paper to crinkle loudly in the otherwise quiet car.

“R-really?” Cas asked, his voice a little broken by his sadness.

“Sure buddy, Really,” Dean said, smiling reasuredly at his friend. “I like you just the way you are man. You don't have to change to impress some douchey colleague kids”

The change in Cas at Deans words was almost instant. He moved his body away from the door, his hands relaxing a little on the bag. A small rare smile worked on his features and Dean found himself relaxing also.

“Thankyou Dean,” Cas said, his voice sounding a little less stricken.

Dean smiled back before he remembered his hand was still on the man's knee. He looked down at it, a heat building in his face before he quickly snatched it back, placing it back on the wheel firmly. He was not blushing, no way.

Oblivious to the hunters inner thoughts Castiel let out a content breath before rubbing a hand through his wet hair. Dean decided to forgo the long drive, for at least today. He should get Cas home and into something dry. Wait. Cas would get himself into something dry. Stupid brain, shut up!

********************

Once back at the bunker Castiel excused himself so that he could shower and change into some dry clothes. Dean took the time to reply back to his brother seeing as he had practically ignored him all day, serves him right anyway, Dean thought as he thumbed through his contacts to find Sam's name.

It only rang three times before Sam picked up.

“Hey Dean, finally decided to get in contact then?” His brothers' instantly snarky voice made Dean roll his eyes.

“Sorry Sammy I've been busy y'know. If you wanted my attention so much you shouldn't have ran off”

Sam scoffed loudly into the phone which had Dean smirking.

“Shut up, when you say you were busy, I hope you mean cataloguing”

“Yeah sure, Like I said earlier I got loads done” Dean lied.

“Mhmm” Sam hummed and Dean knew his brother did not believe him for one second. “How is Cas”

“Dude.. He has a phone. Ask him yourself!” Dean snapped.

There was a long pause on Sam's end of the line then and Dean found himself chewing on his bottom lip as it dragged on. He could hear the faint sound of music on Sam's end and briefly wondered what his brother had been up to before he had called.

“Sorry” Dean sighed, running a hand through his hair with a sigh. “I went to pick him up from work. He had a bad day”

“Oh? What happened?”

“Some dicks at his work said he was weird and didn't invite him to the work drinks”

“Ah, That sounds rough” Sam replied and judging by his little brother's voice, Sam was just as annoyed about the situation as Dean had been.

Maybe he hadn't been overreacting after all.

“Yeah, But we are back home now. Gunna set up a movie and have something to eat. Try and take his mind off it y'know” Dean said, as he gathered the paper bag into the crook of his arm, heading down the hall to his bedroom.

“That sounds like a great idea Dean” Sam said, sounding way too upbeat about it.

For some reason Sam loving the idea made Dean doubt it and he found himself wondering if he was being stupid all over again.

“It's just a movie..” Dean mumbled.

“I know but he probably needs it. Anyway don't do anything I wouldn't do. Have fun. I gotta go. Jody made reservations at the thai place they have here” Sam said hurriedly.

Dean cringed slightly at his brother's choice of words before saying his goodbye and hanging up on Sam. What the hell did that mean? Don't do anything he wouldn't do? That was a weird thing to say right? Plus, Sam didn't even do anything fun so if Dean lived by that rule he would be truly miserable. 

He dropped the phone onto his bed once he made it to his room. Placing the bag of food on the side and hurrying back to the kitchen to grab a couple more beers. On the way back to his room he stopped outside Castiel's bedroom door, rapping his knuckles on the wood.

“Hey man, the food is in my room when you're done” He called through it.

He waited for the other man's muffled response before hurrying back to his room. He quickly made his bed and pulled the tv into a better position so he could view it easily from the bed. He turned the TV on, setting up netflix before collecting the food bag. He deposited the food in its containers on the bed before stepping back and looking at his handy work.

Not bad if he did say so himself. His eyes swept from the bed to the TV where netflix waited and he suddenly felt his face heating up. Why was he so worried about what his room looked like? Cas had been in there plenty of times but for some reason this felt different. 

The term Netflix and chill came to his mind and he mentally sucker punched it away. Hell no! This isn't that at all!

He tried to push the nagging feeling aside. Telling himself that all he wanted to do was cheer Castiel up. Which was the truth anyway because Dean really hated seeing Cas so down and it had nothing to do other than him being the hunter's best friend. That's what you did for friends, you cheered them up.

He sat down on the edge of the bed to wait for Cas’ arrival.

He did not have to wait too long before there was a quiet tap on the door. Dean did not look away from the TV screen as he called out for Cas to come in and when he did he found himself choking on his own spit. Cas had changed into a pair of comfy looking sweatpants and one of Dean's old band t-shirts. The t-shirt clung to Castiel's upper body rather nicely and Dean found himself ogling the angels tightly coiled muscled that were usually covered by Sam's oversized hoodie. Even when Cas had been full angel, he was always dressing in that unflattering trench coat so Dean was unaccustomed to seeing so much of Cas on show. He thought that maybe he should take Cas shopping to get the guy some more of his own clothes, not that he had a problem with Cas borrowing his, nope, no problem at all.

Castiel shuffled from foot to foot in the doorway to Deans room and the hunter was suddenly very aware that he had been staring. The infuriatingly familiar feeling of heat flushing to Deans face happened and the hunter looked away with a cough. Wiping at his mouth roughly just so he had something to do with his hands.

“You gonna come in or what?” He snapped and Cas’ eyes widened a little before he stumbled over to the bed, standing by the side of it.

Dean felt bad again for snapping and cleared his throat before he tapped the spot next to him, signalling for the angel to take a seat. Cas eyed him for a moment longer, a look on his face that Dean couldn't place but hoped it had nothing to do with how obviously weird he was acting before he did as Dean instrusted and took a seat.

Dean smiled at his friend and was relieved when Cas returned it even if it was only a small one. He handed the raven haired man the remote.

“Pick a movie. I'm gonna tuck in I'm starving” Dean instructed before unwrapping his bacon cheeseburger.

He breathed the beefy cheese smell in before taking a huge bite, his eyes rolling closed in satisfaction at the taste. When he opened them he saw that Cas was staring openly at him and he almost choked on his bite of burger.

“You really want me to choose?” Cas asked, sounding slightly unsure.

Dean shrugged and smirked at his friend as he took another bite and Cas finally looked away from him to the TV and began scrolling through the options netflix offered. After about twenty minutes of Cas not picking anything Dean found himself becoming a little impatient. He glanced at the screen then back to his friend.

“Just pick something already. Your food's gunna get cold” he said around a mouthful of fries.

Cas actually jumped when Dean spoke before looking sheepishly at the hunter. Dean's face softened when he saw the almost frightened look in the other man's face. Maybe Cas didn't know what he wanted to watch. Whenever they had watched movies together before Dean had always been the one to choose, wanting the ex angel to see all the great moves that Sam and Dean had grown up watching. Cas had never complained, instead he always just seemed content with spending time with the Winchesters and he always seemed to enjoy the movies they watched anyway.

“I err.. I don't know what you would like to watch” Cas said quietly, dropping the hand that held the remote to his lap in an action of desperation.

“Don't worry about what I want man. I want you to choose” Dean urged, motioning his hand back to the TV.

Cas looked a little confused at the request before he smiled. This smile was slightly bigger, a little more carefree and Dean returned it before he could even register what his face was doing. Then Cas was raising his hand again to restart his search.

He looked cute when he smiled like that. Cute? God Dean, Cas is your friend not a puppy! But either way the thought stuck and he found maybe he did not mind thinking of Castiel as cute. I mean the guy was Okay?!

Finally Cas selected a zombie movie that Dean wasn't too bothered about watching at all. Cas placed the remote back on the bed before finally opening his own burger and tucking in.

They sat in comfortable silence as they watched, both having finished their food, they had moved back on the bed so that they could lean back against the headboard. Dean had pushed the empty containers off of the mattress, deciding he would clean it up later and just enjoying the movie and time with his best friend.

By the time the credits began to roll on the movie that Dean had found kinda confusing but also kinda enjoyable, Cas had fallen asleep against the headboard. Dean gently moved from his spot on the bed to grab the remote and switch the TV off before the music could get too loud and wake his friend. 

Castiel looked peaceful when he slept. His face relaxed in a way that allowed all the creases to smooth out leaving the man looking much younger than he actually was. Dean huffed out a laugh when Cas released a loud snore, smacking his lips together as he slept. He considered letting the guy just crash on his bed, there were plenty of other rooms in the bunker that Dean could sleep in but that would be strange right? Letting the dude have his bed?

He reached a hand out to place on Castiel's shoulder shaking slightly to wake him. Cas did not wake however, but just learnt into the hunters touch, his head drooping down so that his cheek brushed the back of Dean's knuckles. Dean froze in place, his hand still on the man's shoulder as he watched him sleep. His cheeks were getting hot again and now there was no way he could deny that he was blushing.

Castiel's cheek felt soft on the back of Dean's hand and he slowly found his hand turning as if on its own accord to cup his friend's cheek. Castiel's face was warm under his touch, a few days worth of stubble giving his cheek a slightly scratchy feel that Dean should find weird but kinda found he liked instead. He let his eyes trace over cas’ face, from his closed eyes that flicked every now and again as he dreamed, to his very straight nose that crickled when he smiled down to his plush chapped lips that were slightly parted as he breathed deeply.

The guy needed some chapstick, that's for sure. Dean wondered if he had any left in the bathroom that he could give to his friend when he woke up. They looked rough, the ex angels lips, like the guy hadn't drank water in like forever or maybe been caught in some desert. Dean glanced back up at Castiel's eyes and found them still closed, hesitantly he moved his hand down Cas’ face until it sat under his chin, with slow movements he let his thumb brush over Castiel's bottom lip and was more than surprised to find them very soft indeed. Like silk. 

Dean swallowed thickly. How could they be so soft but look so dry? He continued to brush his thumb over his bottom lip, gravitating closer until he was sitting beside his sleeping friend just touching his face like a proper creep. In that moment Dean didn't care though he was transfixed, as if caught in a dream-like state of exploring his friends face.

He glanced back up at Cas’ eyes and was absolutely horrified to see that they were no longer closed. No, in fact, they were wide open and trained on him in a curiously calm manner. Dean shot off the bed so quickly he almost fell. To be honest he would have fallen if it hadn't been for his chest of drawers that he managed to catch himself against. Castiel did not move however, he just stayed in his propped up position, his eyes trained on the flustered hunter.

“Hey.. err.. you're awake. Good, the movie is over," Dean said quickly, stumbling over his words as he straightened himself and cleared his throat.

Cas pushed himself up further, looking over at the now shut off TV then back at Dean. The hunter felt like he was going to choke all over again when an uncharacteristic smirk formed on the other man's face. Dean's face was red hot now, he probably looked like a tomato and he really wished the floor would open up and swallow him so that he would not have to deal with the fact that he had just been caught fondling his sleeping friend's face.

There was no judgment in Castiel's face though as he stood slowly from the bed, stretching his arms above his head, letting his joints crack loudly before relaxing once more.

“Was the movie good? I am afraid I was too tired to see it through until the end. Sorry that I fell asleep”

“Uh it's fine, Cas not a problem” Dean mumbled, unable to keep eye contact with the man. “The movie was good. A little twisty. Sam would probably love it”

Cas let out a chuckle which had Dean looking at him fully. The sound so uncommon Dean had to make sure it had actually come from Castiel. Cas stepped a little closer to Dean and the hunter had to swallow against the dryness in his throat.

“Thankyou Dean” 

“For what?” 

Dean had to ask because all he had done was let Cas pick a film and sit in his room. That was no big deal, right?

“For spending the evening with me. I have found it most enjoyable. It has made me feel a lot better” Cas answered, his eyes showing how sincere he really was.

“S’fine Cas. Anytime” Dean mumbled.

Though the warmth was back in his chest at the thought of cheering Cas up. That was all he had wanted to do anyway; he had no idea how he had ended up in the position he had been caught in only a few minutes ago. Cas gave him a knowing look that had Dean blushing further.

Cas nodded before turning away to leave the room, he stopped briefly in the doorway. Their eyes met agan and Dean had the same feeling he'd had the day before in the kitchen. The feeling that his friend was waiting for something but for the life of him Dean could not work out what it was. 

Then Cas was gone, leaving the doorway and Dean's chest feeling a little empty. Dean tried to ignore the feeling, gathering the rubbish from the floor and chucking it in the bin before he pulled off his over shirt and jeans, not bothering with pjs as he climbed into the bed in just his t-shirt, pulling the covers tightly around him. He reached out his arm and switched off his bedside lamp, plunging the room into darkness. 

Dean drifted off into a deep sleep, the smell of Cas on his pillows making him smile in his slumber.

**Author's Note:**

> Thankyou for reading :)
> 
> Kudos are appreciated and comments give me life <3


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